Jude Bellingham’s demanding nature should be cherished. And adopted by all involved with England.
Jude Bellingham’s demanding nature should be cherished. And adopted by all involved with England.
Plus fans lobby Government.
One of the ridiculous barbs aimed at Jude Bellingham during Euro 2024 was that he was too demanding. He apparently looked frustrated and allegedly shouted at the England dug-out for some action as Spain dominated the final in Berlin. If Bellingham was calling for more movement and pace in the final third, well, he was right. If he was calling for more decisiveness from the bench, well, he was definitely right. England need to re-align their thinking towards Bellingham’s, and upgrade their ambitions to match his.
Gareth Southgate rightly earned praise for rebuilding the culture around the national team but ultimately he lacked that winning edge, that nous to guide the side across the line. Bellingham possesses that and how he responds to Lee Carsley’s appointment as interim, and potentially permanent, head coach will be fascinating.
Bellingham showed his supreme will to win at Real Madrid last season, and in lifting his fourth trophy in a year with his stunning performance in Wednesday’s Super Cup final against Atalanta. Bellingham is elite level, demanding excellence of himself and those around him. He looks at the bench at Real and sees Carlo Ancelotti, a good tactician and, above all, a serial winner, several notches above Southgate.
Do the English fully appreciate what a talent they have in Bellingham, effortlessly on the same wavelength as Vinicius Junior and, now, Kylian Mbappe? He altered position, dropping deeper to accommodate Mbappe, and still excelled. Mbappe arrives and Bellingham immediately sets him up. “Absolutely phenomenal” was how Rio Ferdinand on TNT Sports hailed Bellingham’s performance. England need more of his hunger and phenomenal all-round strengths of passing, shooting, tackling, tracking, pressing and keeping the shape. And Bellingham’s only just turned 21. England are fortunate to have a player as commanding - and demanding.
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During talks this week around the long-awaited Football Governance Bill, supporters lobby Government to make the Independent Regulator even more focused on protecting home games, so guaranteeing that owners do not move Premier League matches abroad.